Oh my God, fellas, I'm so frickin' nervous!

[Writer]

Preparing for my thesis defense. I have been flipping between extreme relaxation and nervousness all week. I just wanted to write and vent a bit. I think it will go well, but of course, I don't know what to expect so aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! :hide:

[Sugar Smack]

1. Writer, you KNOW you're good. I have my fingers crossed for you

anyway. :yourock:

[Writer]

2. Oh thank you thank you. :)

I promise I won't use the word PENIS while I speak - I swear!

[Sugar Smack]

4. Maybe you should. You can claim "Tourette's" and get your own

parking space!:D

[Writer]

6. LOL!

:rofl:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. Best wishes...hope it goes well

[Writer]

5. Thanks very much! :)

[alarimer]

7. Good luck to you

I'm trying to get mine done sometime this decade.

[Writer]

9. Well good luck to you, too!

You'll get there, no doubt. :)

[hfojvt]

8. this is what I would expect

:spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank::thumbsup:

It's kind of like running a gauntlet.

[Writer]

10. Yeah that's what I'm expecting...

in fact, I'm not sure whether I should laugh at the entire dog and pony show or not. Either my thesis is ready for acceptance or not... all the chat in the middle is merely posturing.

[hfojvt]

11. it's practice at sucking up

Perhaps if you answer with a question that will allow them to expound and you pretend to listen intently. Or be prepared to cite their ground-breaking work in that area. :evilgrin:

But really I love scholars.

[giant_robot]

12. Good luck, you'll be fine.

I thought that my thesis defense was much easier than the presentation I gave for my preliminary examination.

[bigwillq]

13. Good luck!

Best wishes! I'm sure you will do fine. :hi:

[Writer]

14. Thank you! n/t

[salin]

15. If your advisor has done her/his job...

s/he will have given you conniptions during writing - "I think you are going in the wrong direction here...", "You need a full new lit review on this area that you haven't yet covered"... etc. While awful at the time - generally their point is running defense for you pre-defense in the sense of making sure that your bases are all covered. More often then not, the horrendous stage is in writing the dissertation/thesis - and all of the curve balls thrown during that process - while the defense... though perhaps dicey for a couple of moments here and there ... goes much more smoothly. My guess/prediction is that you have already been put through the wringer in the preparation and that the worst is far behind you.

If you haven't gotten hard curves to throw you for a loop (from your advisor, or from any committe member) - then during preparation for the defense I would make sure to meet with committee members to get them to actually read it (or at least parts of it that are tied to their expertise) in advance, and to try to get their feedback/concerns in advance - so that you can better prepare to navigate those angles.

Best of luck to you. You are on the final stretch. Kudos!

[Writer]

16. So... here's my situation.

I did rewrite my first chapter/lit review to reangle the thesis in a way that we both thought would be a better handling of my topic. Otherwise, my chair appeared supportive with the other chapters. No major changes... which scares me in a way. My chair also seems oh-so-confident of its passing... which is also a little scary. Both of my committee members will be reading the work beforehand, but I haven't received any comments from either of them so far... my defense is early next week and I handed it to them about a week and a half ago.

Either I did that good a job with my writing, or my tenured thesis chair has completely failed. Not sure what to expect here, anyway. I do hope, however, that a fun round table discussion will arise after my little 15 minute dog and pony show.

So.... :shrug:

[salin]

17. Assume it is the former, but prepare for the latter.

Do you have a group of peers that can run you through a ringer in a practice defense? If you are prepared to give a solid rationale per questions then generally all that will be happen some qualifiers that need to be added in the revisions (and a citation or two of work of committee members or their favorite writings ;-) )

Good Luck!

[Writer]

18. Thanks. I very much appreciate the advice! n/t

[Droopy]

19. Good luck!

As long as you are prepared I think you will do just fine.

[Writer]

20. Thanks! n/t

[mvd]

21. Good luck to you!

Remember, a healthy amount of nervousness is helpful. :hi:

[Writer]

23. Oh yes. I certainly have that in mind. Thanks! n/t

[frankly_fedup2]

22. Do you have access to anything (besides alcohol) that can help

you get through this anxiety in your life? (i.e. Xanax, Valium, no long-term treatment, just something for a week or two). If not, relaxation therapy could help. There are simple exercises you can do as well as breathing instructions online. Also, a great, GREAT relaxation tape is called "The Acoustic SandPeddler" It's just WONDERFUL. If you cannot find that, get some music by Enya or the chanting monks (seriously), and get lost in your relaxation.

No charges this time since online discussion (just kidding . . . unless you want to pay me?)

[Writer]

24. LOL... thanks for the advice. I happen to enjoy the sound...

of water, actually, and I do use that at times that I need to relax and concentrate.

Thanks again. :)

[frankly_fedup2]

25. Oh then you would absolutely love the "Acoustic Sand peddler."

It is sounds of the waves crashing in, seagulls, and specific tones (kind of like the tones in "Close Encounters" but pleasing and relaxing tones in specific parts).

Just remember, "breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . .
"breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."breathe in . . . breathe out . . ."

I read that Pam Anderson keeps a note card in her padded bra that says the above. Hers has nothing to do with anxiety . . . but with intelligence.

[rug]

26. You should post the main premise here.

And defend it. Good practice.

[Wapsie B]

27. Good vibes coming your way.

:thumbsup:

I know a woman who's getting her DME soon and was really put through her paces on her final exams. She's now ABD. She told me that her nervousness gave her the edge come exam time. There are things she'd rather have been doing of a more pleasurable nature. But she kept that nervous edge and sailed through her finals.

[Missy Vixen]

28. You will be FINE!

Writer, sweetie, hurry up and defend that thesis so you can join us at the PJF Fan Club!

In the meantime, I'm sure this will soothe you...:hug:



Julie

[entanglement]

29. It's your MS defense, isn't it?

Best of luck and don't worry too much. :thumbsup:

One important thing, make sure you understand exactly what they're asking before you give a reply. It's all too easy to go astray, tension can do that to you. So, if necessary, ask them to repeat the question, that gives you a bit of thinking time.

BTW, how many people are there in your committee?